Karachi, June 17, 2008: According to A-Level student
Nabeeha Baig, Friday the 13th of June 2008 the last day of the Cambridge
International Examinations (CIE), should go down in history as the luckiest
instead of the unluckiest day.

Whether the exams went well or not, A-level, AS-level and O-level
students alike are relieved the agony is over. On the last day, the exams were
for Economics, some Science subject practicals and multiple-choice questions
(MCQs).

One of the challenges is, however, getting used to the idea that
the exams are really over. This will take a few days at least. Armeen Tinwala
plans to clear her head from all the studying and relax. "I intend to continue
becoming a lazy workaholic again," she said.

For some students the
decision was easy. They flocked to Zamzama's cafes and joints as soon as their
exams ended, some not even changing out of their uniforms. Others are already
booked for travel with family.

Some will stay back in the city. "My
theme for the summer is and has been productivity for past eight years. Summer
breaks give me the opportunity to feed my skills the attention they require. And
what is the harm in making some cash? I might just take on an interesting
project," said A-level student Abid Abbas. For students like him, charity work
or workshops would be the way to go.

Mehk Ali, another A-level student,
felt liberated. "A huge burden is off my shoulders. In the summer I plan to
party, watch lots of movies and television shows and work out for a bikini
body!" Another student has plans to overindulge in diet chips while watching
classics such as Casablanca over and over again.

Hanya Beg, an O-level
student, claims that she is looking forward to her internship at a local
newspaper. "I am going to spend time learning new things and meeting new people.
I will also watch every Nicholas Cage movie ever made," she declared.

And
then, there was the eternal arsonist's refrain heard every year from every
batch: "I will burn all my notes and all those things that remind me of the
A-levels," said Taimoor Tariq. In reality, however, the books and notes gather
dust in the house and are only chucked after at least one semester at
college.

"I intend to make endless lists of things to do and have the
deepest pleasure and ample time to finish absolutely nothing," declared Juhi.
Rosie Jessani felt the same way. On the other hand Alai Naseer plans to spend a
productive summer trying to complete his movie. "I've been working on my film
for a very long time. Now I can finally complete it without being bothered about
education and other worldly things."

However not everyone is embracing
their new found freedom. O-Level student Anmol Fatima said that she will spend
her summer biting her nails. "I just got done with my O-levels which means that
although I am free till September, I still have my AS and A-levels to fret
about. I think that education will be the death of me."

Ahad, another
O-level student said that his summer was not going to be particularly fruitful
either. "I'm going to be worrying about my A-levels and new schools. What if my
grades are awful and I'm forced to give my AS and A-levels privately?" Daily Times